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We are always looking for dog friendly places we can bring Elsa and Raven.
THE Golden RetrieversHarley and Charlie are on the other side of the county to explore some of the best state parks in the country.
Today’s blog post stems from their second annual dog-friendly road trip and answers the question: Are dogs allowed at Ricketts Glen State Park?
The short answer: yes, dogs are allowed at Ricketts Glen. Keep reading for the adventures of Harley and Charlie.
![](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_770,h_513/https://puppyintraining.com/wp-content/uploads/is-ricketts-glenn-dog-friendly-770x513.jpg)
UPDATE: This article was originally published on MyDogLikes on May 16, 2017. We have recently updated and republished here on PuppyInTraining.com.
Pack your bags and leave
Let me tell you something, packing for a road trip with 2 dogs and a baby is a pretty stressful experience!
Since we’ll be entering and exiting new hotels all the time, we’ve put a lot of thought into our organizational system, trying to make it as portable as possible.
I’m pretty happy with what we came up with and how we were able to fit everything into our vehicle.
If you don’t have one, I highly recommend renting a van for a trip like this – there are lots of different ways to configure the middle and back seats.
We will detail our system in a future post because I think it would be really useful for many of you!
![Get ready for our big dog friendly road trip!](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_770,h_719/https://puppyintraining.com/wp-content/uploads/Packing-Goldens-770x719.jpg)
Despite all the preparation, that feeling of forgetting something important was still there!
We hit the road around 10am, which I was pretty happy about considering we had to venture out and collect our rental van first.
The day’s agenda was to visit family in Baltimore, Maryland.
Is Ricketts Glen State Park dog friendly?
I really wanted to find somewhere along the way to stop and stretch my legs and a quick Google search recommended Ricketts Glen State Park, a dog-friendly destination. Northeast PA.
This was very close to the halfway point and only added about 45 minutes to the trip – perfect!
We arrived around 1:30 p.m. and made a quick stop at the visitor center to pick up a map and get a trail recommendation.
Here you’ll find plenty of space out front for your dogs to do their business, as well as water fountains and clean bathrooms inside for yourself.
The park ranger suggested the 3.2 mile Highland and Falls Trail loop – where we could see the majority of the park’s 20+ waterfalls. It seemed perfect!
![Hike the flat, well-maintained Highland Trail at Rickett's Glen](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_770,h_513/https://puppyintraining.com/wp-content/uploads/Highland-Trail-Dog-And-Baby-770x513.jpg)
Highland Trail
It was less than a mile drive from the Lake Rose trailhead, where there is a good-sized parking lot and access to several different trails.
As suggested, we started with the Highland Trail, an easy walk on a very well maintained trail through dense forest.
There are tons of interesting rock outcroppings among the trees that Charlie particularly loved exploring.
![Charlie posing on the rocks of Midway Crevasse](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_770,h_513/https://puppyintraining.com/wp-content/uploads/Midway-Crevasse-Golden-770x513.jpg)
After 2 km, you will encounter a stream and your first small waterfall. Following the water to the right, you will descend on the Glen Leigh side of the falls trail.
Falls Trail
The Falls Trail winds along 2 branches of Kitchen Creek to the meeting point.
This means you’ll go down one side of the glen and up another, giving you views of nearly 2 dozen beautiful waterfalls along the way.
These are impressive formations – the tallest of which is over 90 feet!
![Start the Falls Trail at Rickett's Glen](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_770,h_544/https://puppyintraining.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Falls-Trail-770x544.jpg)
The falls trail is beautiful and a must-see – but it is by no means easy. There are lots of steep sections, narrow stone stairs and slippery rocks.
Most of the “stairs” are also quite high in height and were a real challenge for Harley’s old legs to manage.
I was amazed at how well he did, even though I had to carry him through a particularly difficult section.
It took us almost 3 hours to climb this trail and we were moving at a pretty good pace the whole time!
By the time we realized what we had gotten ourselves into, there was no other option but to go back up and out of the Glen!
![Harley and I posing near one of the 30 waterfalls along the Falls Trail](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_770,h_513/https://puppyintraining.com/wp-content/uploads/Ricketts-Glen-State-Park-Golden-Retriever-770x513.jpg)
Although we really enjoyed the view, it was way more than we had planned for the day – both in terms of time and difficulty.
To give you an idea of the altitude change, Rach’s Fitbit recorded her 100-story climb!
![Rickett's Glen is a great place to hike with your dogs, although the trail to the falls is very difficult!](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_770,h_513/https://puppyintraining.com/wp-content/uploads/Harley-Waterfall-Golden-Retriever-770x513.jpg)
I felt so bad seeing Harley struggle and blamed myself for not doing more research on the ground before venturing out.
Lesson learned: not all 2 mile loops are created equal!
![Charlie was exhausted after our hike at Rickett's Glen State Park!](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_770,h_513/https://puppyintraining.com/wp-content/uploads/Tired-Puppy-Golden-Retriever-770x513.jpg)
Charlie was so tired he fell asleep sitting up!
When we got back on the road, it was almost 6:30 a.m. (several hours late) and we still had about 3.5 hours of driving ahead of us.
It’s time to have fun
After an exhausting hike and with a less-than-thrilled wife, I was very happy to come across a glacier on my way out of the park.
![Go get some ice cream after our hike at Red Rock Scoop!](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_770,h_513/https://puppyintraining.com/wp-content/uploads/Red-Rock-Scoop-Ice-Cream-770x513.jpg)
Nothing like a little peanut butter ice cream to sweeten things up…
And after?
Fortunately, tomorrow will be a little more relaxed – without travel or visits with family (human and animal!)
![Golden Retriever along Kitchen Creek](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_770,h_513/https://puppyintraining.com/wp-content/uploads/Dog-at-Ricketts-Glen-Golden-Retriever-770x513.jpg)
What we learned on the first day
- There is no cell service in Ricketts Glen! Be sure to pick up a map at the park office or download one to your phone before you arrive!
- Hiking the entire falls trail would be not to be recommended for small children (walking), or elderly people/pets. We didn’t really realize how difficult the terrain would be and it really pushed Harley’s limits at times 🙂
- Allow a full day for your visit. We wish we had more time to stop and admire the beautiful falls, but with a few hours of driving still ahead of us, we ended up rushing through the second half of our hike.
Have you heard about our 2nd edition Road trip with a dog? Follow us for great places to see and fun things to do with dogs on the East Coast!
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![Is Ricketts Glen State Park dog friendly?](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_770,h_1155/https://puppyintraining.com/wp-content/uploads/ricketts-glen-dog-friendly-770x1155.jpg)
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